As it's also home to S@H, watching with interest the Berkeley protests.

For those who haven't heard, Berkeley is ground zero for students protesting tuition increases of 30% in the California system.

Wheeler Hall is in the center of this map, and the Space Science Labs (7 Gauss Way) is about a half mile diagonal from the compass in the upper right.

... maybe it's mostly over, maybe it's just getting started ... you never can tell with Berkeley.

As it's also home to S@H, watching with interest the Berkeley protests.

For those who haven't heard, Berkeley is ground zero for students protesting tuition increases of 30% in the California system.

Wheeler Hall is in the center of this map, and the Space Science Labs (7 Gauss Way) is about a half mile diagonal from the compass in the upper right.

... maybe it's mostly over, maybe it's just getting started ... you never can tell with Berkeley.

Yeah It was mentioned on the News that those whose parents were under $70,000 a year could get help or something to that effect, which might mean some may be protesting cause their parents income is higher than that and that they still barely can afford It. I'm so lucky then, My parents were never even thinking of Me going to college, But then they were from an older age, Some of which I think didn't really like college types, So I was never encouraged to do well as they were too busy making ends meet, Today their gone and I live on as best I can, College is not something that interests Me, Am I resentful? No Some of My surviving relatives went to college and have degrees, I'm very proud of them and I keep as much of an eye on them as I can these days.

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The T1 Trust, PRR T1 Class 4-4-4-4 #5550, 1 of America's First HST's

Very interesting topic, though I see not many are interested here on the number cruncher board. One should ask why college costs are sky rocketing out of control. I have my own ideas, having seen all sorts of academic environments. In the CA case, the problem is with public funded higher education: in a nutshell there is no need to control costs. The university system is just another entitlement, which touches a lot of people and therefore used by pandering politicians to their own ends. That is, if you want people to vote for you, you merely support some sort of academic expansion and worry about paying for it later. Or, you support some sort of student welfare (expansion of the student loan programs or the like). Fiscal responsibility never truly enters the equation.

A side effect in the latter case is that the students maturuation process tend to be stunted. I'm not just referring to the 'professional student' type. But the much larger percentage of the student population learns to depend on government to attain their goals, and to shun personal responsiblity as the philosophical center of their life.

The result? Look around you. Nearly every state is going bankrupt, borrowing heavily from the bankrupt federal government. Irrational spending by government at all levels and a dwindling few of the electorate interested enough to resist the trend. Millions of people being paid not to work, the real but unfortunate result of political tampering with unemployment benefits. Ugly top down politics, Chicago style, taking root nearly everywhere, unchecked by the 5th estate. The achievements and cultural strength of, what, 20 generations are being sold out by "big brother" and by a generation of people who have no idea what the lessons of Orwell's "1984" were to teach us because the education system has failed to convey a modicum of analytical reasoning ability. Or, perhaps Orwell hasn't been podcast yet?

I don't know if I should go out back and shoot myself or merely move to Texas to help them secede from the 'union'.

There's a direct connection between the costs of the wars and spending at home.

The corporatists, republicans and libertarians are having wet dreams at this moment in history as they see their ultimate goal within reach.

Nothing less than the complete elimination of any form of social spending.
They couldn't achieve this goal while western governments had control over their own economies but the bastards found a way to get around the system by wrecking it.

We find ourselves at a point where we have money to support corporate bail-outs and wars abroad but must cut education, healthcare and unemployment/welfare payments to the poor.

Enjoy the new feudal system we helped create by not paying attention to the powerful elites and their agendas.

There's a direct connection between the costs of the wars and spending at home.

The corporatists, republicans and libertarians are having wet dreams at this moment in history as they see their ultimate goal within reach.

Nothing less than the complete elimination of any form of social spending.
They couldn't achieve this goal while western governments had control over their own economies but the bastards found a way to get around the system by wrecking it.

We find ourselves at a point where we have money to support corporate bail-outs and wars abroad but must cut education, healthcare and unemployment/welfare payments to the poor.

Enjoy the new feudal system we helped create by not paying attention to the powerful elites and their agendas.

Funny, I thought the socialists were having a wet dream because they finally got Wall Street to accept welfare (bail out) payments and have them on the hook. Expect several more rounds of corporate welfare payments before it all shakes out. Each round will further nationalize the economy, taking it into socialism.

And if anyone cares, I suspect that Citigroup is getting exactly what is is paying its CEO, one dollar. It has gone to 30% on cards, signaling to its depositors that it is bankrupt so they are pulling the money. With less money to lend, they have to jack rates even more to keep their profit margin. Since it is the profit margin that determines the stock price, and the stock price that pays the CEO, it must be held at all costs, even cooking the books. It is a spiral that will end with a bailout or a takeover.

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Funny, I thought the socialists were having a wet dream because they finally got Wall Street to accept welfare (bail out) payments and have them on the hook. Expect several more rounds of corporate welfare payments before it all shakes out. Each round will further nationalize the economy, taking it into socialism.

LOL
What an insight, you must be on to the master plan of all socialists.
We want public monies transfered as quickly as possible to the private interests controlling the capitalist centre called Wall St.

The socialists feel that the American capitalist system has failed to provide for the rich at a rate acceptable to...well, the rich.

It's not enough for them to already be rich and have more money than they could ever spend, they also want that little bit that used to go into education.
You see, they can afford the entire costs of education so why should they contribute to an education subsidy that only helps non-rich people?

What people don't understand is that the last time the United States was a capitalist country was in the early twentieth century. Teddy Roosevelt started us on the road to socialism and as each year passes by, another layer is added on. The great depression, the current depression and all of the other setbacks this country has seen have been the result of the Government tampering with the way capitalism functions. That is the action of a socialist and not capitalist government.The government then investigates the failure and naturally they are not at fault so they place the blame on someone else. The government is also in charge of writing the history books, so you know the type of tail they will tell.

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If you really want to know why this is happening you have to lay the blame at the feet of those how believe that government can be run directly by the people. The clearest example of this folly is the passage of Proposition 13 many years ago to "protect" people from being taxed out of their home by rising property values. Essentially this law stated that the value of property for tax purposes could only be raised when the property was sold. SInce residential property in California had a reasonably quick turnover everybody felt it would not have a sever impact on the tax base. While this idea was good on the face of it the law that was passed left a big loophole that allowed commercial property to valued based on the same standard. SInce commercial property turnover is much, much slower this had the result of destroying the very tax base that had allowed California to become the leader in education and as a result employment.

This as further aggravated by another Proposition that required a 2/3 majority vote to pass new taxes and 2/3 majority in the Legislature to pass a budget. As a result the people of California are held hostage to the minority.

Tuition is being raised because of something that happened 20 years ago. Tuition is being raised because the laws of California allowed the people to take direct control of the governing process using Propositions. Now special interest groups manage to get Propositions on the ballot that mandate the spending of tax money but do not provide for revenues to offset this spending.

What you sow, so shall you reap.

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If you really want to know why this is happening you have to lay the blame at the feet of those how believe that government can be run directly by the people. The clearest example of this folly is the passage of Proposition 13 many years ago to "protect" people from being taxed out of their home by rising property values. Essentially this law stated that the value of property for tax purposes could only be raised when the property was sold. SInce residential property in California had a reasonably quick turnover everybody felt it would not have a sever impact on the tax base. While this idea was good on the face of it the law that was passed left a big loophole that allowed commercial property to valued based on the same standard. SInce commercial property turnover is much, much slower this had the result of destroying the very tax base that had allowed California to become the leader in education and as a result employment.

This as further aggravated by another Proposition that required a 2/3 majority vote to pass new taxes and 2/3 majority in the Legislature to pass a budget. As a result the people of California are held hostage to the minority.

Tuition is being raised because of something that happened 20 years ago. Tuition is being raised because the laws of California allowed the people to take direct control of the governing process using Propositions. Now special interest groups manage to get Propositions on the ballot that mandate the spending of tax money but do not provide for revenues to offset this spending.

What you sow, so shall you reap.

Sales taxes are approaching 10%, we pay income taxes, we pay property taxes and we pay the taxes of the companies we buy from as a hidden tax. Don't you think the government may be spending a little to much?
On the other hand, a big mistake made in this state is that the public can vote for something without explaining where the money will come from. Most of the time they say payment will come out of the general fund and that is not descriptive enough. They are not even telling you how much your taxes will go up to pay for the item.
That minority is the only thing that is keeping the government from spending even more money. They are trying to force the majority to pay more attention to passing a budget that won't drive us deeper in debt. I think in the next election you will see the minority become much stronger.
You are also very wrong on Prop 13. The tax on the house is figured at the time of purchase based on the sales price. Then if the house increases in value, the tax rate can be increased up to 2% a year. We got our house in 1986 and our tax rate has gone up 2% every year we have owned it. I know, I write the check!

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While this idea was good on the face of it the law that was passed left a big loophole that allowed commercial property to valued based on the same standard. SInce commercial property turnover is much, much slower this had the result of destroying the very tax base that had allowed California to become the leader in education and as a result employment.

What commercial property turnover?! It NEVER happens!

What does happen is the owner of 1234 Main St., Inc., which owns 1234 Main St., sells his shares to a new person. The building never changes hands, there is no new deed of trust.

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